2011: A busy year in Onondaga County's northern suburbs

Mike Greenlar / The Post Standard Attorney Kevin Bernstein addresses the Lysander Planning Board in May regarding the environmental impact study for the proposed Northwest Family YMCA. The meeting was held at the Lysander Town Hall on Loop Road, in Baldwinsville.

We’re taking a look back at some of the stories that made biggest headlines in 2011 in the northern suburbs.

YMCA in Radisson faces major setback

The 98,000-square-foot proposed Northwest YMCA at Route 31 and Drakes Landing in Radisson faced a major setback this summer.

In June, the proposed YMCA in Radisson received a “positive declaration” from the planning board during the State Environmental Quality Review process. Projects need a negative declaration to receive planning board approval. The board declared that the size and scope of the proposed Y would damage the character of the Radisson community.

Since the ruling the YMCA board of managers has been looking into 16 other possible sites near Baldwinsville.

Politics in the town of Lysander are typically quiet. This year, it has been anything but quiet. There was a Republican primary for the first time in decades and both candidates said it was ugly. Barry Bullis, who has held the job for 16 years, beat out Fred Burtch Jr., who has never run for office, by 36 votes.

Burtch pulled out of his write-in campaign in October. Even so, Bullis faced two challengers in the race, Kevin Rode and John Salisbury. Salisbury is a member of the Lysander First, a bipartisan group of community members from different political parties who wanted to bring change to the town. He ran with two Lysander First town councilor candidates, Andrew Reeves and Melinda Shimer.

The entire Lysander First team won on Election Day ending the Lysander Republican Committees control of the town. Salisbury and Shimer are also believed to be the first Democrats to ever run the town.

Mike Greenlar / The Post Standard.Kayla McKeon (left) with her parents Mark and Patti in their North Syrcause home.

From politics to new school programs, it’s been a busy year in the northern suburbs of Onondaga County.

McKeon won the bronze medal in the bocce singles competition and a silver medal in the bocce doubles competition.

McKeon and her partner, Joshua Altman, from Texas, won the silver medal July 3. She won the bronze in the singles competition June 29. McKeon, 24, of Cicero, was the only Central New Yorker competing at the Special Olympics World Games.

Liverpool school refocus on learning environment

The Liverpool school district welcomed the first group of students this fall into its new FOCUS program, a smaller learning community that district officials say offers students a hands-on approach to learning.

The program’s goal is to create a more personalized learning environment and increase the district’s graduation rate, but some residents voiced concerns the program would cost too much for the number of students being served.

The program’s capacity is 180 students and is housed at the former Wetzel Road Elementary School. Initially the program is serving ninth- and 10th-grade students, but will include ninth- through 12th-grade students in two years. Currently the program has about 48 students enrolled.

North Syracuse leader retires to Central Square position

Jerome Melvin retired July 29 as superintendent for the North Syracuse Central School district.

Kim Dyce Faucette, from the Rochester Central School District, took over North Syracuse Aug. 1.

State enforces ban on Onondaga Lake Parkway

A ban of commercial vehicles from Onondaga Lake Parkway began earlier this month.

The state Department of Transportation decided in September to ban all commercial vehicles from the parkway to prevent too-tall trucks from crashing into the low CSX railroad bridge. Last year, a double-decker bus slammed into the bridge, killing four people. The banned vehicles will have to take Old Liverpool Road.

Pregnant North Syracuse woman fights cancer

Bobbie Jo Wilson, of North Syracuse, was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer, an invasive cancer with a tumor larger than 2 inches in diameter while she was pregnant.

Peter Chen / The Post-StandardBobbie-Jo Wilson, of North Syracuse, with her son, Colin MacMaster. Wilson had breast cancer when she was 8-months pregnant. The baby was born in Februrary.

Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney, the town of Lysander and the Baldwinsville Central School District are negotiating a deal to save the Baldwinsville brewery more than $6 million in property taxes over the next 15 years. The deal slashes the brewery’s taxes in exchange for a pledge by Anheuser-Busch not to close the plant for 15 years.

After the Friends of the CanTeen, a group that raises money for the teen center, received a $250,000 state grant, the organization was able to buy a house at 6046 Route 31 next to the Cicero-North Syracuse High School. Work is under way to renovate the property.